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The Best of the Sunny Raw KitchenThe Best of Raw Freedom CommunityDelightfully Raw andDeliciously RawThese feature some of the most delectable creations to have come out of my raw kitchen and will appeal to anyone interested in a healthier diet, regardless of their level of knowledge and experience. From easy one-step everyday fare to more elaborate and involved gourmet dishes and layered cakes, they offer something for everyone and every occasion. Incredibly tasty smoothies, creamy and comforting warm soups, sexy salads, delicious nut cheezes, satisfying entrees and scrumptious guilt-free desserts...

Saturday, October 31, 2009

Before I get started with our rawkin' adventures in New York State, let me back track a little and tell you about what goodies we prepared to take along for the road. I am notorious for stocking up: raw products, nuts, seeds, dried fruits, you name it! Even now, with all of our worldly possessions in the van, almost half of it is food! lol So before leaving my sister's home a few weeks ago, we had pounds and pounds of nuts and seeds, so I figured that we might as well carry those in 'munchable' form. Plus, during our travels across Canada this summer, we had taken a bunch of dehydrated foods that proved to be so key in helping us stay raw while on the move. As it turns out, it took 3 D (dehydrator) days in order to prep all the yummies I had in mind!

And The Journey is On...Don and I are highly aware of how plans and ideas are, well, just that, and that when the rubber meets the road, Life may have something very different in store. In fact, to us, it's a wonder that anything turns out at all as we imagine it! Approaching the US border crossing, we really didn't know what to expect. As we pulled up next to the custom officials, we were prepared to get refused and have to head West back to British Columbia. (Although I have to say that this would have been a surprising turn of events, as there has been so many indications that going on this journey across the US was our next step.) The guard did his thing, asking us a few questions (some of them a tad strange like "How did you two meet?" lol), then waved us forward.

This is when it hit us that it was truly happening; this new and exciting chapter in our journey had begun! Don and I kept looking at each other, shaking our heads. We knew that our lives were about to radically shift - in the way that traveling always does - but in the 10 days or so since our arrival in the US, it's almost like we've been living in another dimension! lol And to think that only a little over a year ago, we still lived on a mountaintop, pretty much coming down only to go grocery shopping!
A Growing Fammunity
When we set off on this journey, we had a sense that it wasn't going to be only about raw foods, but rather that the latter would act as the bridge or 'excuse' in order for us to connect with amazing and beautiful people. Man, were we ever right! (And our travels have only just started!!!)

The first stop on our American tour was Groton, NY. (Pronounced "Graaaaaaawton" by the locals. ;-) ) After some initial confusion (I highly recommend to take Google maps' instructions with a grain of salt!), we finally made it to Lisa's centenary Victorian home. I won't give you all the details as to how we came to stay with them, but believe me, it is an awesome story with the undeniable signature of fate all over it. Lisa, her husband Michael, their little guys Graham (5) and Gabriel (2), and grandma Sally welcomed us with such opened arms! In just a few days we simply couldn't shake the feeling that we were family.

After one of our many (very) late talks.

The kids also adopted us in no time. They are sooooooo adorable! The day after we got there, Graham candidly told Lisa: "Carmi & Don could stay here forever!" Awwwww

Oh lookie, Donnie... Pumpkins!

In Lisa's Sunny Kitchen

While Lisa and Michael were at work, Don and I would take over the kitchen and whip up some raw yummies for dinner. The most challenging (but also fun!) meal we prepped for them was on the day after our arrival. After snooping around their cupboards and fridge, I opted for a Carrot Curry Soup my dear Mosaica had been raving about (oh sooooooo good!!!), Kelp Noodles in Peanut Sauce served in collard wraps and Russell James' Wilted Kale Salad. At some point, Graham, their 5 year old, looked over at Don and I working in the kitchen and solemnly declared: “You two ARE very good cooks!” ;-)

I just have to tell you the little story around the kelp noodles. Lisa decided to order those from the Raw Food World after she read this post and hadn't gotten around to using them yet. Of course, she'd have never guessed at the time that I'd one day be standing in their kitchen and preparing that very dish. “Buy the noodles and she will come!” Lisa said laughing. ;-)

Kelp Noodles Wraps

We also had a little extra to enjoy on its own...

Kale Salad

Everyone loved the meal, even Graham who usually is a bit suspicious of new things. Lisa told me he normally eats very slowly, but he wolfed down his food and reached out for seconds! lol

I'm so so happy that the food we prepared went over so well and to have introduced them to recipes they'll actually feel like making again. Yay! Even Sally was open to trying our juices, smoothies and various raw goodies and thought they were delicious. ;-)

Behind the blogging scene...

After a real good laugh. (Hey Puff Ball!) ;-)

Be back soon with the rest... ;-)

Oh, and in case you missed it, you can find out more about our upcoming stops in this post.

Tuesday, October 27, 2009

We've made it to the other side of the border (yay!) and have been staying in the Ithaca, NY area since last Wednesday. So far, everything has been going amazingly well: meeting beautiful people, sharing lovely food and enjoying the perfect autumn weather.

I'm working on a post that will tell you all about our New York adventures, but for now I just wanted to bring you up to date in terms of our itinerary. We can't really organize events a great deal ahead of time, as it all depends on how things unfold as we go, but here's what it's looking like for the next little while, in case any of you guys would like to join us.

Raw in a Flash class in Gloucester, NJ on Friday, Oct. 30th. For more info, contact Kellian at kellianncougle(at)hotmail(dot)com

Raw in a Flash class in Gardners, PA (near Carlisle) on Sunday, Nov. 1st. For more info, contact Marty at 717-486-4232

We'll also be teaching a couple of classes in Washington, DC during the week of Nov. 9th. We're still in the process of working out the details, but send me an email at sunnyrawkitchen(at)gmail(dot)com if you'd like to be kept informed.

We'll be having some kind of raw get together in most of those places, so drop me a line if you'd like to be kept posted. Also, if you live somewhere along the way and would like to hook up or even help put together an event, please send me an email to:

Thursday, October 15, 2009

I thought I should touch base before we officially begin our big American adventure later this week…

It’s been an event-full last couple of weeks, I’ll tell ya! Before leaving my sister’s home on Oct. 7th, we gave another raw food class in Rouyn. Mostly the same people as for the previous class attended so we already had established a good base and everything went super smooth.

Meet My Longtime Friend
During our stay in Rouyn, Don and I visited my friend Mario a number of times. He came into my life when I was only 5 (Mario was my brother-in-law for something like 25 years!) so he feels like family to me.

We spent a good chunk of Saturday together before we continued our journey. In the afternoon, I gave Francine, his girlfriend, a little crash course on smoothies.

She then gave me a hand preparing dinner: a raw cucumber soup and an Asian spinach salad. Mario loves LOVES raw desserts, so I had also whipped up an avocado based chocolate mousse which we enjoyed with banana slices for dessert.

Time to Pack Up!
Somehow, we managed to fit everything into the car again. As soon as he saw us packing, Kylo stayed real close by to make sure he was coming with. He’d even sometimes hang out on the backseat of the van! lol

At Shannsu's
Our first stop was a visit to Shannsu, whom I met via our forum, Raw Freedom Community, some time back. It was a much-welcomed pause on our way to Montreal, plus, we had been meaning to connect ever since our arrival in Quebec.

Shannsu and her family live on a small farm in the Upper Laurentians. As we were driving towards her town, the area reminded us a lot of the Okanagan where we lived for a few months. We enjoyed this chance to meet Shannsu’s husband, Claude, and son, Matthieu. I don’t remember having so much fun at the dining table! (Thanks to you, Matthieu!) It was a delight to witness how relaxed and harmonious their relationships are.

They also have several furry additions to their family so we felt right at home. I thought Puss might be traumatized to find herself with so much feline company, so we kept her downstairs, where we slept. She didn’t seem to mind.

Don gets company while munching on Shannsu's delicious apple crumble that we topped with raspberry sauce.

My doing the Tibetan Rites in the morning was apparently of great interest to many of the furries.

Nickelle kept grabbing my face and rubbing her nose against mine everytime I came around. Awwww! So sweet!

We certainly couldn’t have picked a better time for coming as Nature was exploding with the vibrant colors of fall. We actually found out that these were at their peak!

We took Kylo and Copine on a walk around their lovely property.
They had a jolly ol' time!

The sky was stunning that afternoon.

As Shannsu is totally fluent in both English and French, a while back she offered to translate my “Best of RFC” recipe ebook into French. With all that’s been going on for us in the last 6 months, the project had been on the back burner. Our visit was the perfect opportunity to do a final revision of her translation together. I am thrilled to announce that “Les Meilleures Recettes de Raw Freedom Community” should be available anytime now. Woo hoo

We had a fabulous time at Shannsu’s and can’t think of a better way to begin this new phase of our journey. We were even blessed with the very special gift of a hibiscus flower during our stay. These blossoms only last for one or two days!

Off To Visit My Parents
We continued our travels visiting my parents who live on the South shore of Montreal. Unfortunately, it rained all the way there so we couldn't see the colors as clearly.

As we were going to arrive a little late, we decided to make a short stop in Montreal in order to treat ourselves to a dinner at Crudessence.; a raw resto that opened earlier this spring. We shared a salad and lasagna platter.

Crudessence Salad; so colorful and well presented! It came with a few crackers, a bit of spread, sauerkraut, candied nuts and an excellent Asian dressing.

Lasagna with thick layers of zucchini, a sundried tomato sauce and macadamia cheese. It came with a side of carrot salad, a small green salad with dressing, sprouts and a few crackers.

Again, lovely, lovely presentation!

We were a bit concerned about staying with my parents as they really don’t care much for animals, but as is often the case, our worries proved to be unfounded. Kylo quietly chose a spot in the driveway from which he could keep an eye on all that’s going on.

As for Puss, well, she has been making herself right at home!

Her new favourite hanging spot is my mother Jeanne’s bed. lol

Puss had a little adventure of her own one day as she ventured down into the unfinished basement. Here's what she looked like when she finally climbed back up!

All ready for Halloween! lol

Got lots of cleaning up to do, that's for sure!

To my surprise, Jeanne has begun to like Puss! She even jokingly suggested we leave her here to keep them company! hehe (You have to understand that Jeanne is really not a pet lover. As a kid, I always wanted to have a cat and she persistently refused.)

Giving Thanks to Still Be in One Piece
On Thanksgiving weekend, my parents took us on a ride in their car one afternoon to show us the local colors.

On our way back, we had a big accident on the highway; we ended up rolling over a few times and crashing upside down in the ditch. The road was super busy so it is a small miracle that no other vehicle crashed into us.

Thankfully none of us got seriously hurt. Don, Jeanne and I spent several hours at the emergency to make sure everything was okay and were soon released. We woke up a bit stiff the next day, but otherwise unscathed. My dad was the worst off with a sore neck, a broken sternum and a displaced vertebrae. He returned home after 2 days at the hospital. We were told that these will take time to heal, but his condition is improving a little more every day.

The Sunny Raw Kitchen Live in Montreal
Shortly before leaving Rouyn, I was asked to give an uncooking class in Montreal. It all came together in record time and virtually effortlessly! Seven people joined us at Sarah and François’ apartment on Friday the 15th and we took over their kitchen for a few hours. We had an absolute blast as I whipped up some yummy recipes that can be prepped in a flash. Everyone seemed to enjoy their evening. We even got spoiled with fresh organic garlic products that one of the participants, France, had grown on her land in Rimouski.

Here you can see Sarah's two sweet hearts playing in the background.

My invaluable assistant handing over the goodies for tasting. ;-)

Taking Over Jeanne's Kitchen
Don and I pretty much took over the kitchen while at my parents', prepping food and doing the dishes. Jeanne seemed to enjoy this little break, especially since it freed up her energy to focus on Antoine's recovery instead. They would have a fresh juice with us most mornings, sometimes a small glass of smoothie. They almost always enjoyed a raw soup with us, sometimes an occasional salad and whatever else we'd be having for dinner. Don and I feel it's important to adjust and be flexible when it comes to food. Sharing a meal is often a special moment that can be ruined if holding too tightly to ideals of sticking to one's favorite diet of choice. I had made a lovely (cooked) squash soup for lunch one day, which we enjoyed with crackers, bagels and some raw fermented cheeze.

And The Journey Continues...
Our car accident was yet another good reminder how plans are always just tentative at best! We decided to delay our departure for the US by a few days and are so glad that we did! It gave us a chance to recover from that whole nasty business and my parents greatly appreciated our presence and help.

Don getting the van ready for the next phase of our adventures.

And now, well, we’ll be back on the road again in the morning. Our plan is to stay in the Syracuse/Ithaca area for a few days in order to connect with several folks. From what we’ve heard, it is a very special place so we’re looking forward to it!

Of course, Jeanne and Antoine are sad to see us go but also understand that this is the next step for us.

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